The new 3 Chiao Tenors, Brian, Ping and James Chiao, rehearse "O Sole Mio" in the Buena Park showroom of CNL Mannequins. James Chiao, CEO of CNL Mannequins is putting on a one-man show in L.A. called Tenor By Night that will also include the new 3 Chiao Tenors. JEBB HARRIS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

If mannequins could talk, what a story they could tell about James Chiao.

He owns CNL Mannequins in Buena Park, a company that does quite well providing stylish mannequins to retailers and apparel companies.

Shoppers at JC Penney, Neiman Marcus and numerous other clothiers around the world have rubbed shoulders with Chiao's mannequins. His warehouse on the edge of Orange and Los Angeles counties is stacked with boxes and boxes of mannequins – anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 – manufactured in his native China.

Chiao, an effervescent man with a joyous smile, runs the business with his wife, Lily. Its success enabled him to bring family members to the United States and to give his son and daughter college educations.

It's a true immigrant-makes-good-in-America tale, Chiao and his mannequin business.

But it's just part of his story.

The show Chiao is putting on Saturday at the Cal State Los Angeles Luckman Fine Arts Complex, called "Tenor By Night," is the other part.

Chiao, 64, likes to say that mannequins are his day job. The rest of the time –allof the rest of his time, his family teases – he spends on his true passion.

He opens his mouth and sings.

He sings in the shower, in his car, at the warehouse.

Whenever her husband pulls into the garage at their home in Cerritos, Lily Chiao says, "You hear the singing and know he's back. You hear the singing before you see him."

He sings at trade shows and community concerts. On a business trip to Venice, Italy, he sought out the site of the old opera house so he could stand in the street and sing.

But for decades Chiao kept that part of himself silent, in deference to a choice his parents made long ago in China.

RIVER OF DREAMS

Along with his two brothers, James Chiao grew up with music.

He is the second son of Fei Chiao, an accomplished tenor and composer from China's Guangzhou province, the area once called Canton by Westerners. His mother was a classically trained soprano.

His older brother, Ping Chiao, was groomed to be Fei Chiao's musical successor.

Related Links

The new 3 Chiao Tenors, Brian, Ping and James Chiao, rehearse "O Sole Mio" in the Buena Park showroom of CNL Mannequins. James Chiao, CEO of CNL Mannequins is putting on a one-man show in L.A. called Tenor By Night that will also include the new 3 Chiao Tenors. JEBB HARRIS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Tenor James Chiao, CEO of CNL Mannequins in Buena Park, exercises his voice. At left is his wife Lily, COO of the company, and at right son Brian. James Chiao is putting on a one-man show in L.A. called Tenor By Night that will also include the new 3 Chiao Tenors. JEBB HARRIS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Tenor James Chiao practices on the set being built in his Buena Park mannequin warehouse. JEBB HARRIS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
James Chiao, center, CEO of CNL Mannequins in Buena Park, his son Brian, left and brother Ping, right, are the new 3 Chiao Tenors. JEBB HARRIS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
James Chiao, right, is the owner of CNL Mannequins in Buena Park. He didn't start singing until the late 1990s. His father, Fei Chiao, left, and his brother, Ping Chiao, center, were both classically trained artists. James Chiao came up with the idea for them to perform together as The 3 Chiao Tenors. COURTESY OF JAMES CHIAO
This photo of James Chiao was taken in 1974 during China's Cultural Revolution when he was sent to work in an island village on the Pearl River. It was six years of hard labor, he says, spent farming in a rice paddy and fishing. He had to smile for the photograph or otherwise face harsh consequences. COURTESY OF JAMES CHIAO
James Chiao performed amid mannequins at the 2013 GlobalShop trade show in Chicago for the retail display industry. Chiao is the co-owner of CNL Mannequins in Buena Park with his wife, Lily Chiao. The mannequin business is his day job, he says, but singing is his passion. COURTESY OF JAMES CHIAO
The 3 Chiao Tenors performed multiple times in the Los Angeles area while Fei Chiao, left, was still alive. Along with sons Ping Chiao, center, and James Chiao, Fei Chiao wore Chinese-style jackets at this 2006 performance. COURTESY OF JAMES CHIAO
The 3 Chiao Tenors, left to right, Fei Chiao, Ping Chiao and James Chiao, put on cowboy hats while singing a Western tune at a 2006 performance. COURTESY OF JAMES CHIAO
James and Lily Chiao are the owners of CNL Mannequins in Buena Park, a successful manufacturer and distributor of mannequins and display forms for retail stores and clothiers. They were on a trip to the Bahamas in 1998 when this photo was taken. COURTESY OF JAMES CHIAO

1 of

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.